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  • ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’ Cast Interview

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    Available on digital January 27th is the new comedy thriller ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance‘, which was directed by Jason Biggs (‘American Pie’) and stars Biggs, Meaghan Rath (‘Being Human’), Justin H. Min (‘The Umbrella Academy’), Anna Konkle (‘Rosewood’), and Arturo Castro (‘The Menu’).

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    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jason Biggs and Meaghan Rath about their work on ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’, their first reactions to the screenplay, why Biggs wanted to direct, Rath’s approach to her character, her experience working with Biggs as both an actor and director, balancing the right comedic tone, if Biggs will direct again and what he learned from this experience.

    (L to R) Jason Biggs and Meaghan Rath star in 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'.
    (L to R) Jason Biggs and Meaghan Rath star in ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.

    Related Article: Moviefone’s 2026 Movie Preview: Theatrical and Streaming Releases

    Jason Biggs as “Kevin” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Jason Biggs as “Kevin” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    Moviefone: To begin with, Jason, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and why you wanted to direct this movie?

    Jason Biggs: I read the script, and it was originally offered to me just to play the role of Kevin. My agent said to me, “I think you may want to direct this one,” because we had been looking for something to direct for a few years. What I loved about it was that it was unexpected for me, I think. As an actor there are connections that people make for me, and I thought that would have extended to my first time directing as well. I even had an opportunity to direct something that was much more like ‘American Pie’, and I ultimately thought, “I’d rather challenge myself in a different way and try to do something that was a little unexpected.” So, when I first read the script, I was like, “My God, this is really great”. It’s the kind of movie that I like to watch. I’m a big Coen Brothers fan and it felt like it had that tone to it, and it was populated with similar characters, structure, gore, and comedy. So, for me, it was like, I really wanted to direct this. It felt like the right one for me. I don’t think I anticipated just how difficult it was going to end up being, but it was a challenge that I took on, and here we are.

    Meaghan Rath as “Suzie” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    Meaghan Rath as “Suzie” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Meaghan, what was your first reaction to the screenplay, and did you recognize immediately that this would be a great part for you to play?

    Meaghan Rath: Yes, absolutely. I was in shock when I was reading it because I really felt a connection and an urge that I needed to play her. I thought that there would be so many actors that want to take that on, because it is a terrifying challenge with of all the emotions that she goes through, but also playing those tonal shifts. I felt that it weirdly combined a bunch of different skills that I had from previous shows that I’ve done. So, it felt like it was right for me, and it felt like it was mine, and it was.

    (L to R) Jason Biggs as “Kevin” and Meaghan Rath as “Suzie” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    (L to R) Jason Biggs as “Kevin” and Meaghan Rath as “Suzie” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Meaghan, what was it like working with Jason on set as both an actor and as a director?

    MR: I felt very safe. We got on well just from the beginning and it’s so nice to be able to have that comfort with somebody that you’re getting on this runaway train with. It was 20 days. It was such a grueling shoot, and it was mostly nights. To have somebody that you knew that you could trust to take you through it, and not just as a scene partner, but as a director, figuring out this character, because it was very overwhelming. I came on not long before we went into picture, so I didn’t have that much time with it. It was nice to have somebody to figure it out with that I knew that I could rely on. So many times, during the shoot, I was like, “I don’t think we got it.” We had such crazy time restrictions, but he always gave me another take if I wanted it. So, that’s really something.

    (L to R) Justin H. Min as “Stu Cho” and Jason Biggs as “Kevin” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    (L to R) Justin H. Min as “Stu Cho” and Jason Biggs as “Kevin” in the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Jason, can you talk about the challenges of balancing the right tone of comedy and suspense?

    JB: They’re in lie the biggest challenge, for sure. Meghan kind of alluded to it. It’s performance, its lighting, its shots, it’s the edit for sure, and the score. I always wanted it to feel as grounded and real because it’s a high concept movie. It’s a guy who fakes a break-in with his friend to win his wife back, and it goes wrong, and someone’s dead. It’s a high concept, but I felt like we would have the best chance of making it work if we kept it grounded. Because there’s a very broad version of this movie, for sure. But the version I wanted to see and make was as grounded as possible, because then I always thought that we would be able to go to some more extreme places, and ultimately be able to tie it together more organically in the end. So, yes, there’s laughs and very clear comedic moments, but there’s gore, there’s the thriller, and there’s the whodunit. It was the challenge of this movie, between the performances and everything else, and even right until the end, until the score was placed in. That was the sort of the final thing that we had to do. They did such a great job. So, that was the final thing, and it’s fascinating how much that helps connect everything. Anyway, that was part of the fun challenge for me.

    (Center) Director Jason Biggs on the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    (Center) Director Jason Biggs on the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    MF: Finally, Jason, do you think you will direct again, and if so, what have you learned from making this film that you will take with you to your next project?

    JB: Yes, I would love to direct again. That’s saying a lot because this was a very hard shoot, as Meaghan said earlier. It was ambitious and very difficult at times. But for me, the moments that I will take from it, particularly working with Meaghan and the other actors and having that interaction, giving notes, having them change their performance. That was, for me, a high. It was such a great thing. So, I want to do it again. What have I learned? An insane amount. I mean, there is so much that I will take onto a next project if I get the opportunity. From little things to a big thing like, letting go, and being able to let go. You can’t get stuck. If you don’t get the shot, you just don’t get the shot. I remember missing shots and thinking, “That’s it. How am I going to put it together? It’s going to be impossible. Like, without that shot, there’s no way that this could work,” and that’s just not the case. There’s always creative solutions and ways around it. So, not getting as caught up in that, I think, maybe, is a big lesson to take.

    'Untitled Home Invasion Romance' will be available on digital January 27th.
    ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’ will be available on digital January 27th.

    What is the plot of ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’?

    As a last-ditch attempt to save his failing marriage, an actor (Jason Biggs) stages a home invasion during a romantic getaway weekend.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’?

    • Jason Biggs as Kevin
    • Meaghan Rath as Suzie
    • Arturo Castro as Ernie Guerra
    • Justin H. Min
    • Anna Konkle
    (Right) Director Jason Biggs on the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, 'Untitled Home Invasion Romance'. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
    (Right) Director Jason Biggs on the Comedy, Thriller, Action and Crime film, ‘Untitled Home Invasion Romance’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).

    List of Movies & TV Shows Featuring Jason Biggs:

    Buy Jason Biggs Movies and TV on Amazon

  • TV Review: ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2

    Tiffany Haddish in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    Tiffany Haddish in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Launched with the first two episodes on Apple TV+, the second season of ‘The Afterparty’ manages to take the story in interesting new directors while also maintaining what made the first so entertaining.

    Created by Chris Miller and produced by Miller alongside regular creative partner Phil Lord, ‘The Afterparty’ has the clever conceit of presenting the events of the story from the different points of view of the various characters, all portrayed in different genres.

    And while the new season doesn’t have the frisson of a new idea in quite the same way, there is still plenty of freshness here.

    What’s the story of ‘The Afterparty’s second season?

    Zoë Chao and Sam Richardson in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Zoë Chao and Sam Richardson in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    The story picks up with Aniq (Sam Richardson) and Zoë (Zoë Chao), now a couple, having made it through the murder mystery that sprang up during the afterparty of a high school reunion.

    It’s a year later and the pair are attending the wedding of Zoë’s sister Grace (Poppy Liu), who is getting married to wealthy tech type Edgar (Zach Woods) at his family’s expansive estate north of San Francisco.

    Aniq fails to make a good impression his girlfriend’s family, but that pales in comparison when Edgar is discovered dead the morning after the wedding (along with his pet lizard, Roxana).

    Soon, accusations are being thrown around and skeletons from the past on all sides are coming to light. Aniq contacts Detective Danner –– or rather former Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) –– who cracked the case in the first season (and is now trying to write a book about the experience) to come and solve the new murder mystery.

    Who else appears in ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2?

    Jack Whitehall and John Cho in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Jack Whitehall and John Cho in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Season two boasts a new group of characters including Edgar’s adopted sister Hannah (Anna Konkle), his widowed mother Isabel (Elizabeth Perkins), and business partner Sebastian (Jack Whitehall); Grace and Zoë’s parents Feng (Ken Jeong) and Vivian (Vivian Wu), as well as their long-estranged world-travelling uncle Ulysses (John Cho); and Grace’s ex-boyfriend Travis (Paul Walter Hauser).

    Related Article: Producers Phil Lord, Cristopher Miller and Cast Talk ‘The Afterparty’

    Is ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 an event worth attending?

    Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, John Cho, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong and Zoë Chao in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Anna Konkle, Elizabeth Perkins, Zach Woods, Poppy Liu, John Cho, Vivian Wu, Ken Jeong and Zoë Chao in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    As we mentioned, the idea of splitting the episodes between the various characters’ viewpoints and utilizing a different genre for each one is no longer as fresh and new as the first, but the show’s creative team has worked hard to make it feel different and worthwhile rather than a retread.

    Part of that is rounding up a superb new ensemble to bring the characters to life, with the highlights including Cho as the worldly, weird uncle that Zoë and Grace idolized as youngsters, but haven’t seen for years after he fell out with their parents. His re-introduction to their lives (organized by Edgar and Sebastian) is a fantastic showcase for Cho, who has rarely gotten to play such a flamboyant, weird character.

    Jeong is also great –– a picky shaved ice magnate (he’s quick to point out that it’s Taiwanese rather than Hawaiian) –– gives him a chance to do the sort of shouty, nervy character who works well playing against the others.

    Woods’ Edgar has his own set of quirks; a painfully socially awkward genius whose closest companion is his pet reptile, and while it might come across as the character he played or some he interacted with on ‘Silicon Valley’, he brings something new to this role. Kudos also to the effects team bringing Roxana the lizard to life –– she’s almost as much of a character as she is.

    Among the genres the season offers are Jane Austen-style period drama (for Grace’s story of how she met and fell for Edgar and her worries that Zoë isn’t on board with their whirlwind romance), and one set within the word of TikTok and other social media trends.

    And a breakout hit of the season to come is the episode focused on Danner investigating a different case. We won’t go into any big spoilers but suffice to say that fans of 1980s and 1990s thrillers (and food) will heartily enjoy the craziness on display. You can also expect to see a spoof of heist movies and 1950s melodrama.

    Through it all, Haddish and Richardson provide reliable anchors –– he all nervous energy and trying to do what’s right, she the quick-thinking, smack-talking type who knows that everyone lies at some point.

    There are the same level of twists and turns this time around, the various viewpoints providing different laughs and the emotional quotient remaining high. These are characters you’ll enjoy getting to know and figuring out who might have dangerous motives and reasons to wish Edgar harm.

    It also generates plenty of knowing stories about the tensions both within Asian families and towards them –– at one point Jeong’s Feng points out that white people clustered whispering is never a good thing.

    Lord and Miller have long proved to be skilled at taking comedy and genre and twisting them together, and ‘The Afterparty’ continues to be a great example of that.

    ‘Afterparty’ problems?

    Poppy Liu and Zach Woods in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Poppy Liu and Zach Woods in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Not every genre pick is quite as effective, which means you might find yourself going from an episode you truly enjoy to one that only offers minor chuckles.

    Yet this is the only real issue with the new show, which has made a successful return to Apple’s streaming service and marks one of the best comedies on TV at the moment. The only other problem you could have is with the weekly drip feed release schedule –– your patience might be taxed waiting for each episode of the remaining eight to drop, but it’s worth it.

    And the only guarantee we can’t give is that the show sticks the landing this time and resolves the mystery effectively, as critics were not provided with the crucial final episode. But on the evidence of the season so far and the great quality of the first, we have faith.

    ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2 receives 8 out of 10 stars.

    Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Perkins in 'The Afterparty,' now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) Tiffany Haddish and Elizabeth Perkins in ‘The Afterparty,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Movies Similar to ‘The Afterparty’ Season 2:

    Buy Tiffany Haddish Movies on Amazon